Who Else But Lavender Brown
by Rita Arabella Black
Summary: After the war, Lavender Brown had settled into a quiet life with her Uncle Ephraim. One day two Aurors came to call looking for her uncle. One of the Aurors was her old friend Ronald Weasley; the other a handsome stranger.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Originally chosen as a challenge for Professor Flitwick's Prompt of the day: 7/16: "ignored and used"…

Who else but Lavender Brown?

For all her life, Lavender had been either ignored or used by everyone she loved; including her parents. Her father, who had been a very important wizard at the Ministry of Magic, ignored her while she desperately tried to gain his attention and favor. Then there were her elder brothers, Periwinkle and Ochre, whose sole mission in life, apparently, was to abuse her abominably. Even her own mother constantly referred to her as, "Umm, you there!"

She made friends at Hogwarts, of course, because she fit right in; she had to be one of the silliest girls in all of wizardom and most every other girl there was just as silly. Her best friend was Parvati Patril and they shared the most intimate of secrets.

It wasn't until her fourth year at Hogwarts that she discovered the love of her life: Ronald Weasley. When she found out that Parvari's twin sister, Padma was to be Ron's date for the Yule Ball, she cried for a week. Why couldn't he have asked her? The infatuation grew and grew until her sixth year when _he_ finally spoke to her. She was on cloud nine and soaring. She'd written their names together: Mrs. Ronald Weasley, Mrs. Lavender Weasley, Mrs. Ronald Brown-Weasley, all over her notebooks and parchments. She even created a spell that had their names up in lights and had flying cupids circling "Ronald loves Lavender".

Then, miraculously in her sixth year, _he _finally noticed her. They spent the next six weeks blissfully locked in each other's arms. They couldn't keep their hands off the other and it seemed to all who noticed—and there were a lot who DID notice, always to be snogging. And just as suddenly, he was gone. He moved on to apparently the love of _his_ life, Hermione Granger, leaving her once again feeling abandoned and used.

Lavender thought she was destined to be the kind of girl that boys liked to play with but not to keep. She figured that since she'd already lost her one true love, she may as well spent the rest of her days telling fortunes surrounded by a house full of cats. So, bitterly resigned, she made plans to move to Diagon Alley once she finished at Hogwarts and set up some kind of shop.

The war, of course, changed her plans. She was attacked by Fenrir Greyback, and left scarred, leaving her with the remnants of a curse that thankfully never fully developed. The werewolf's claws had slashed across her chest and she refused to undress with the lights on, preferring not to see her once lovely body permanently disfigured.

The war also wiped out most of her family. Her parents and brothers were killed by death eaters and the only living relative she had was her uncle Ephraim Goldenstein. Ephraim managed property in Diagon Alley and he talked Lavender into working for him. She had no other prospects so she agreed. The job came with a furnished apartment, but her uncle wouldn't let her have but one cat and that was for magical purposes, not for companionship. She named her cat Hermes, but called him Wonwon.

Once the war was over and Voldemort dead, the magical community started to revitalize. Many of the shops in Diagon Alley that had been closed due to death eater intervention reopened and there were new businesses opening every day. Ephraim was very happy because he owned most of the property in Diagon Alley so he was able to make a comfortable living managing the various properties. Lavender stayed busy and kept her mind off negative things. She rarely had time to look up much less worry about her love life.

Most evenings were spent with Uncle Ephraim. He was searching for any trace of living relatives, but he wasn't having much luck. There were plenty of distance cousin "Browns" but the Goldenstein's were another story. Every so often Ephraim would tell Lavender that he'd found someone in a far off land and he would take off looking for them. He'd leave her in charge of the business while he was for sometime months at a time. He always came home disappointed. Lavender would make him a cup of tea and tell him he'd find someone very soon.

One morning as Lavender prepared to open her shop for the day, she received an owl from her uncle telling her that he was going to Romania to look for a distant cousin. His last words were, "If this pans out, I shouldn't be gone very long. Please don't tell anyone where I've gone."

Lavender looked at the note and shook her head. Uncle was beginning to become a bit dotty. Oh well, she thought. She liked the office quiet and actually got more done when he was away.

She settled into to a year's worth of filing when the bell attached to the front door started to ring. Looking up, she was surprised to see none other than Ron Weasley and another man Lavender didn't recognize walk in. Lavender stood up nervously and began to fidget. She had no idea what Ron was doing there. For a fleeting moment, she thought maybe he'd left Hermione once he'd come to his senses that it was she he wanted.

"Ron," she said breathlessly. "What are you…?"

Ron looked just as surprised and uncomfortable as she did. "Lavender," he said.

He quickly recovered and dug into his robes and pulled out a Ministry of Magic badge. He flipped it open for her to see. Across the top of the badge were the words, 'Auror Division' and at the bottom, his badge number.

"I didn't know you were an Auror," she said, clutching the back of her chair.

He nodded uncomfortably. The man next to him cleared his throat discreetly. He smiled at her.

"I'm Bishop Graham," he said, still smiling as he pulled out his own badge. "Sorry, I'm Graham Bishop. Old joke," he laughed. "Apparently not funny unless you're a muggle."

"You're a muggle?" she asked, obviously confused.

"Muggle born," he explained.

She nodded dumbly. She tried desperately to keep her eyes off Ron, but she kept looking at him covertly through her lashes. Ron's face was turning redder and he began to turn his badge over and over in his large sweaty hands.

No one spoke for the longest time. Finally Graham flipped his badge back into his robes and said, "Is Ephraim Goldenstein here?"

Lavender looked at Ron and then back to Graham. "Uh, no."

"Do you know when he'll be back?" Ron asked.

Lavender swallowed hard and shook her head. "No."

"Do you know where he went?" Ron's voice was flat and business-like.

Again Lavender shook her head.

"Is he in the habit of taking off and leaving pretty girls in charge?" Graham flirted.

Ron looked at his partner and glared. Lavender blushed and couldn't help the small smile that was threatening to spread across her face.

Graham's smile got bigger and he winked at Lavender. He was trying to put her at ease and it seemed to be working. "Is he your boyfriend?" he asked, nonchalantly.

Lavender laughed. "Goodness, no. He's my uncle. He sent me an owl this morning and said he was going out of town for a while."

"Vacation?" Graham asked playfully.

Lavender shook her head. "He's looking for family members. Most of our family was wiped out during the war and he's looking for some cousins that may have survived. Why do you need to talk my uncle?"

Ron spoke up. "We need to ask him some questions," he said, more gruffly than Lavender was sure he meant to.

"About?" she asked looking at Graham again. It was much easier to look at Graham than having to face Ron.

"This and that," Graham said vaguely. He reached in his robes again and brought out a business card. "Do tell him we came by and we need to talk to him." He hesitated as he handed her the card. "Well, Miss Goldenstein…"

"Brown," Ron and Lavender said at the same time.

He bowed slightly. "Miss Brown," Graham said. "Have a nice day. I'm looking forward to talking to again soon."

She was still nodding as Ron pushed Graham out the door. The bell gave a final ring and they were gone. It was a full five minutes later before Lavender could breath normally again.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

After a relatively quiet afternoon, Lavender closed up the shop promptly at 6:30 without hearing from her uncle. As she walked to her apartment, she wondered briefly why the Auror Division was looking for Ephraim. By the time she reached her flat door, she'd decided that he probably had information about some big secret case the Aurors were working on. What really occupied her time was wondering why Ron Weasley had abruptly re-entered her life.

She was still thinking about that when she heard a quiet knock on her door. Her heart quickened for a moment thinking that Ron had followed her home, but when she pulled open the door, she was surprised to find Graham leaning casually against her door frame.

Graham smiled lazily at her. "Hi," he said. "I hope I'm not interrupting."

Too stunned to say anything, she shook her head and stood back so he could enter. Walking past her, he smiled again.

"You have a lovely home," he said politely.

"Thank you."

All of a sudden he looked uncertain. "Well, crap, this was isn't the way I had this planned."

She looked at him confused. "Why? What do you mean?"

"Well, I really did have a plan in my head to come over here and pretend to grill you about your uncle and his whereabouts and then maybe I'd work in the part about you're very pretty and when I saw you this morning, all I thought about was your beautiful mouth." He shrugged.

"Oh," was all she could say.

"I'm sorry. It's just not very professional. But that part's true. I couldn't stop thinking about your beautiful mouth and how I'd really love to kiss you." When she still didn't speak, he turned around to leave.

"Don't go," she said quietly.

"And I know you have a boyfriend and I have absolutely no right to say those things to you, but I couldn't _not_ say something," he said turning back toward her.

"Who said I had a boyfriend?" she asked.

"Ron. He told me you had a big ugly boyfriend who was extremely jealous and I definitely should not try to talk to you."

"Really?" Lavender looked amused. "Ron said that? That's funny. And no, I do not have a boyfriend."

Graham's eyes lit up. "Seriously? I mean you're gorgeous. I can't believe you aren't taken."

Lavender blushed and looked down shyly. She didn't know what to say. She wasn't used to flattery.

"I hope you'll forgive my severe breach of etiquette," he said softly and politely. "I promise you I'm not usually like this. I'm probably the shyest person you know. You seemed to have brought out the bold in me." He grinned at her apologetically and waited for her to say something.

"I'm shy, too," she said.

She asked him to sit down and offered him some tea.

"Got anything stronger?" he asked. "I'm off duty."

She gave him some elf wine that her uncle had given her from France. He smiled approvingly as he sipped the wine. Neither of them spoke; not sure of what to say.

Finally, Graham chuckled. "This is going to be the quietest relationship in history," he said.

Lavender laughed. "Sorry. I used to be loud and obnoxious, but I've found as I've matured, I quite enjoy the quiet. Many of my Hogwarts friends wouldn't even recognize me today," she said. "I don't remember you at Hogwarts."

Graham shook his head as he placed the wine glass on the table before them. "Didn't go to Hogwarts," he said. "I went to a school in America:_ Salem School for Young Witches and Wizards_. I'm actually American."

"I _thought _your accent was a bit off. How long have you lived here?"

"I moved here after I was recruited by the Auror Division. Apparently I have 'special skills' they thought was desirous."

"Oh, really?" Lavender was intrigued. "What sort of special skills?"

Graham leaned in very closely to Lavender. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you," he whispered.

"Oh," she said. "Sorry I asked."

Graham burst out laughing. "Just a joke, uh…"

"Call me Lavender," she said.

"Lavender," he repeated softly. "It's a lovely name."

She blushed again.

"Would you like to go out to dinner?" he asked.

"I'd like that," she said. "But I've got a couple of things I need to do tonight. Maybe another night?"

He nodded. "Absolutely. Well, it is getting late, I'd better go." He hesitated after he stood up. "May I call you then?"

Lavender nodded. "Please do."

Very shyly, Graham leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. It was over quicker than Lavender wanted. She smiled at him. He was such a gentleman and so polite. She hoped that he would call her. She needed someone in her life that was nice and kind; someone who wouldn't use her. Maybe Graham was that man.

His hand was on the door knob. "Lavender," he began. "I almost forgot to ask you; did you speak to your uncle after we left today?"

"Uh, no." She didn't know why, but she felt disappointed that Graham asked her about her uncle. She'd hoped that he really just wanted to talk to her.

He hesitated and then walked out the door, closing it quietly behind him.

"Call me," she said after him.

It wasn't five minutes later when she heard a knock. She skipped to the door and threw it open expecting to see Graham standing at her door.

"Ron! What are you doing here?" she gasped.

Ron was standing frowning at her. "What was _he_ doing here?" he asked gruffly.

"Who?" she asked.

"You know very well who, don't be coy with me, Lavender. I saw Graham leave."

"You were watching me?" she asked, stunned.

"No," he said. "I was in the neighborhood and I happened to see him when he left. What was he doing here?"

"Is that really any of your business, Ron?" Lavender asked crossing her arms across her chest.

"I just wanted to warn you, Lav, he's dangerous," Ron said pushing his way into her apartment.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

There was only one thing in the world that Lavender could not resist and that was Ron Weasley. She thought she was over him, but having him dominate her sitting room made her feel like she was back at Hogwarts.

"I want you out of my house," she said, her voice quivering. "You no longer have any say in what I do or whom I see."

"Lav, you don't understand. I've worked with Graham for a while now and he is the worst sort of libertine," Ron said solemnly.

"Not that it's your business, Ronald Weasley, Graham only came over here to ask me about my uncle," she said. That wasn't true, of course, but HE didn't have to know that.

"Oh," Ron said sheepishly. He looked at the ground. "You look wonderful, Lav."

She started to melt. It would have been so easy, she thought, but she resisted. "Thanks, Ron. How's the wife and kids?"

Ron reddened. "Uh, Hermione's taken the children to Australia to visit her mum."

"You're separated? Oh Ron, I'm so sorry."

Ron cocked his head to the side and shrugged his shoulders. "You know," he said. "I'm getting by."

Lavender reached out to comfort him, but she quickly drew her hand back. No! she thought to herself, I'm not going to do that. It doesn't matter how I feel, I won't!

"I've missed you, Lav." Ron looked positively miserable.

Once again, Lavender reached out to him, but this time, she didn't pull her hand away. She gently touched her face and he covered her hand with his own.

"I'm sorry, Lavender," he said, quietly.

She smiled a very sad smile. Fat tears rolled down her face. "I'm sorry, too."

He was going to kiss her, but she couldn't allow it to happen. Ron knew this, so he smiled ruefully and pulled away from her. "Guess I'd better go," he said and cleared his throat. "Just wanted to warn you about Graham because whether you believe it or not, I do care about you."

Whether that surprised her or not, she didn't let on what she was thinking. She simply nodded and turned away.

"I'm a big girl now, Ronald. I really am able to take care of myself. I learned that a long time ago." She walked to the door and opened it for him.

"I know. I feel responsible for that, too." He hesitated for a moment at the door and tapped the door facing with the palm of his hand. It looked like he was warring with himself inside his head. "I'll be in touch. You know, about your uncle."

Lavender nodded, not looking at his face. As he headed out the door, she said, "It was really good seeing you again, Ron."

She didn't let him speak before she closed the door behind him.

**A/N: I know, I know, this is very short, but I think it continues the story nicely. Sorry it took me so long to update, but RL came crashing in. Thanks for reading and your patience.-Rita**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

She sat staring at the door after he left for two hours wishing that he would come back. Finally she sighed and went into her room to change for the night. After pouring herself another generous glass of wine, she walked out to her balcony and lit up her second and last cigarette of the day.

Even though she lived alone, she couldn't bring herself to smoke inside her own home. She felt like a kid again, sneaking off for a quick cigarette, so afraid of getting caught. But who would catch her, she wondered. And even more depressing, who would care?

She sipped her wine and smoked watching the village below her. Hardly anyone was out this late in the evening, but she enjoyed watching the few couples dodging the rain and puddles in the streets. She was serene, but there was something missing in her life. The war and her circumstances had changed her from the flighty airhead that thought everything was funny and so dramatic to a passive observer and passer-by who never quite met anyone's eyes. Although she hid it well, she refused to allow herself to feel. That is, until today when her past and maybe a promise of a future walked in her uncle's shop.

She carefully grounded out the cigarette and finished the glass of wine. She sat watching the lights below darken and the few people out disappear into the night. She sat still for several minutes enjoying the quiet. As she rose to go back inside, her eye caught movement in the alley across the way and watched a cloaked and hooded figure turn and walk away. Had he been there the whole time?

For the first time since she moved in, Lavender closed and locked her balcony door. She almost left it standing wide open, inviting whoever it was out there to come inside, but she quickly changed her mind. Her fantasies had imagined a secret lover (Ron?) waiting for her to go to bed, but more likely it was someone who had just gone in the alley to pee.

The wine made her sleepy, and the next thing she heard was an owl tapping on her window. The sun was just coming up and she was surprised that she had slept through the night. Impatiently, she threw on her robe and opened the window. The owl, a barn owl that Lavender didn't recognize, hopped in and dropped the parchment it was holding in its beak. There was no pouch to drop coins, so Lavender petted it absently while she enrolled the scroll. The bird gave an impatient screech and turned around and flew back out the door.

"Dear Lavender," the letter read, "I think I have found some of our cousins in Algeria and am headed that way. I'll return as soon as I can. It looks promising. Don't forget to collect the rent on the first, and I did not give Mrs. Ollister an extension. Try to rent out the two flats in your building. Do a deal; I don't like them to go empty. Your uncle, Ephraim."

So, he was going to Algeria, thought Lavender. At least I have something concrete to tell Ron, and Graham, of course.

She was surprised to see Graham waiting for her in front of her uncle's shop and only a tiny bit disappointed that Ron was not with him. He nodded his head slightly and smiled at her.

"Good morning," he said cheerfully. "I hope you had a pleasant night."

She looked at him, trying to determine if there was some underlying message in his greeting. Maybe he was the one in the alley. There was nothing in his eyes that suggested anything and she released the breath she had been holding.

"Very well," she said shyly.

"Are you still willing to go out to dinner with me?" he asked suddenly.

"Well, I…"

"What did Ron tell you about me?"

"What? I don't know what you're…"

He laughed. "Come on, Lavender. I'm an Auror, remember and I have 'special skills'. I figured out last night that you and Ron had some kind of history and after I left you probably sent him an urgent message asking about me. Well, I hoped you were curious about me anyway." His grin was so adorable, she actually blushed.

"So you didn't know he came over last night and warned me about you?"

"_Really_? Hmm, that is interesting. What did he say?" he asked, trying to hide a sly smile.

"Oh, well, that's kind of personal," she said.

"That bad, huh? Oh my. Well, then. It's a good thing he's married, right? Or I may have some competition."

"Ron told me he was separated."

This time he did laugh. "If you call his wife in Australia visiting her sick mother, then yeah, I guess you could say they are separated."

"Oh." Lavender's face turned very red. "I guess I misunderstood," she said quietly. "Oh well, no big deal. Oh! I have news about my uncle. I received an owl from him this morning and he's on his way to Algeria. He said he may have found some of our cousins."

He watched as she unlocked the front door and proceeded to open the shop. Since Ephraim ran a management service, there weren't any customers waiting to get in and shop. It was still a few days until the first, so no one would be paying rent today. The office, as usual, would be quiet.

"Did he say when he'd be back?" Graham asked casually.

She shook her head. "I don't expect him back until after the first. Do you want to see the letter?" She fished the paper out of her pocket and handed it to him. She watched as he carefully went over it.

"So, you have a couple of flats in your building for rent?"

Surprised, she nodded. "Yes, I do. Do you need a flat?"

Graham rolled the parchment back up and handed it to her. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I am looking for a place to stay."

"Wonderful. Would you like to see it now?"

"My boss would probably frown on doing personal business on company time. Perhaps you'll show it to me after you get off work. We could go to dinner and then you could show it to me."

"Oh. Okay. That sounds good."

He smiled at her again and it looked like he was going to say something else, but he shook his head. "I guess I should go now. I have a few more leads to follow up on."

"Can you really not tell me what this is about?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Sorry, Lavender." She felt a tingle go up her spine when he said her name. "But I really can't."

She nodded. "Oh, before I forget, by any chance were you skulking outside my window last night?"

"No. Did you see someone?"

She shrugged. "It was probably nothing. I'm not even sure it was a person."

"Did you get a look at him?"

"Not really. It was dark and he was wearing a long dark cloak. Describes half the town, I imagine," she laughed nervously.

He didn't laugh. He looked concerned and even worried.

"What? What is it?" Now she looked nervous. Maybe someone was stalking her. "Does it have something to do with the case you're working?"

He looked surprised. "No," he said quickly. "I'm sure it was nothing. Nothing to worry about. Well," he said looking at his watch. "I really do have to go back to work. I'll come back around 6:30. Is that alright?"

She nodded shyly.

"And don't be afraid to call me if you think of anything else and if you see anything suspicious. Promise?"

"I promise," she said.

He looked like he was going to say something else, but he turned and walked out the door. She watched him until she was distracted by a customer who slipped in behind him.

"May I help you?" she asked brightly. Her breath caught when she saw the customer; it was a tall man who was wearing a wide brimmed hat and a dark robe.

He walked silently to her desk. "I wanted to see about a rental," he said. His voice was just above a whisper and he brought chills to the back of her neck and made the hair on her arms stand up.

"Uh," she hesitated. "I'm sorry," she said. "We just rented our last flat. I'll probably have something come available very soon. If you'll leave me your name and an address where I can reach you, I'll call you when something comes open."

"No, that's all right. I guess I heard wrong. I heard you had two flats available."

She smiled nervously and shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry."

He looked at her, although she couldn't see his face clearly, she did see that his eyes were dark and sinister. He turned around sharply, his cloak flying around him, and walked quickly out the door, slamming it loudly.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I am ****so**** sorry it's taken me this long to write another chapter. I had a couple hundred words started, but nothing worth finishing, been working some major writer's block. Rita**

Chapter 5

Oh dear, thought Lavender. How did he know about the flats? She was supposed to advertise the rentals in tomorrow's _Daily Prophet_, so there was no way the man knew about them, unless, of course he had read Uncle Ephraim's letter. And she was sure that he was the man skulking around her flat last night.

Whom should she call? Her second instinct was to call Ron and that surprised her; her first reaction was to call Graham. Her question was answered before she had a chance to get in touch with anyone. Graham walked through her door with his wand drawn.

"Are you all right?" he asked walking quickly up to her.

Lavender was shaking slightly and Graham held her, trying to soothe her. "He sounded so threatening," Lavender said finally, her head buried in his chest. "He knew things."

Graham rubbed her back awkwardly. He wanted this conversation strictly professional, but he was a sucker for a damsel in distress.

"Can't you tell me what's really going on?" she asked, starting to tear up. Graham swiped the tear that was falling down her cheek. He sighed heavily, gave her one long hug and reluctantly pushed her gently away from him.

"I'm sorry, Lavender. I really can't."

"Am I in danger?" she asked suddenly. She wanted him to assure her that she would be fine. The insecurity that had always been with her came through. She looked into his face, her lower lip trembling. Graham fought himself for one second before his lips crashed down on hers. She struggled against him for half a second more and then completely surrendered to the force that swept her away.

His only thought was, _I can protect you; I will protect you._

The bell over the door sounded with an annoying clang and they jumped apart like they had been caught doing something. Lavender was surprised to see a very angry looking Ron glaring at Graham. Graham chose to ignore the look, but sighed dramatically.

"Weasley," Graham said, "nice of you to make it."

Lavender smiled at Ron like her best friend had just bought her a puppy. Graham sighed dramatically and let it go. He'd get back at Ron sooner or later, but now was definitely not the moment.

Ron was smiling like an idiot at Lavender. _Cripes_ thought Graham, _when was the last time this guy got laid_? He cleared his throat irritated.

"Miss Brown was threatened this morning," he said.

"Lavender," Ron said, making sure he used her first name, "are you all right?"

She nodded, shuddering at the thought of the terrifying man. "I think it was the same man I saw last night. He knew things about my letter."

"Letter?" Ron asked, looking from Lavender to Graham.

"Keep up, Weasley," Graham said harshly. "She received an owl from her uncle this morning and it mentioned two rental properties available. No one else knew about them."

Ron nodded his head thoughtfully. "I'll protect you, Lavender."

Graham rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. "Oh, for crying out loud," he muttered to himself.

"Ron," Lavender said whispering. "I need to talk to you. Now." She turned and walked to the rear of the store. Graham gave him a hard look, but Ron ignored him and walked toward her.

"Ron," Lavender repeated, "I need to know the truth, Graham told me…"

Ron's face turned bright red. "I can explain. Hermione and I are having really bad problems and she went to Australia so we could…"

"That's not what I'm talking about," she snapped. "I want to know why you are investigating my uncle. Graham told me that you're still married and the separation is just a convenience."

"Did he?" Ron turned back and glared at Graham who gave him a cheery wave.

"I'll admit that seeing you again has been, well, nice," she confessed. "But I'm not going to do anything to wreck your marriage. Let's focus on me for a moment and what just happened. I'm frightened and confused and no one will tell me anything. Is my uncle in trouble? What do you think he's up to? Am I in trouble?"

"You're not in trouble," he assured her. He started to tell her things, when Graham came up swiftly behind him.

"I think I saw the man outside. Ron, let's go. We'll put a protective spell around this building and we'll know if anyone tries to sneak in or if you're in danger. That's all we can do now. I'll see you tonight."

"What about tonight?" Ron asked.

"Don't worry about it. It has nothing to do with you," Graham said. "Now, let's go before he disapparates or something."

"Bye, Ron, bye Graham. I'll be waiting," she said smiling shyly.

"What was that all about?" Ron asked as Graham pulled him out of the building.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it." Graham said. "It has nothing to do with the case."

"That's what I'm worried about," he grumbled.

"Get your head in the game, Weasley. It's not about you. And you are a very selfish ass, by the way."

Before Ron could say anything else, Graham said. "Look, we need to find this guy. I think Lavender is in danger because she's communicating with her uncle. I think maybe someone's on to him and they'll use Lavender to get to Ephraim."

"You're right. It's just that Lav and I go way back."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." He turned suddenly into an alley. "Look, he disapparated here." Graham pulled out his wand and muttered a revealing charm. The air began to turn and turn a pale orange exposing a link where the man apparated to. The hole was closing fast and completely disappeared before Graham and Ron could follow.

"Damn!" they said together.

"Well, he's gone," Ron said.

"Yes, and I'm sure he'll be back. The protective charm will help, but I'm going to move into her building so I can keep a better eye on her. I think Uncle Ephraim will come back when he finds out someone has been watching Lavender."

"Then we'll get him."

Graham nodded. "Yep."

The rest of the day was spent filing reports, doing research and keeping watching for any breaches in the protective spell around Lavender. So far, she was safe, but anything was possible at the moment. Graham was hoping that he could solve the case and begin seeing Lavender on his own time. Of course, if things worked out the way he knew it would, he doubted Lavender would ever want to see him or have anything to do with him ever again.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Graham was waiting for her when she closed up the shop. He stepped out of the shadows and she jumped.

"It's just me," he said. "Sorry if I frightened you."

She shook her head. "No, it me. I've been on edge since this morning." She looked down at her hands for a moment and then looked at him. "You don't frighten me at all, quite the opposite."

He smiled to himself at her remark. "Do you want to eat first?"

She shrugged. "Up to you. The flat's not far away. Actually it's on the same floor I live. We'd be practically next door neighbors."

"Another plus," he said and she blushed. "Let's see the flat first then." He offered her his arm and she took it, blushing again.

The walk was short to the building where Lavender lived. Graham kept her entertained with stories of his upbringing in America and how different England was from his hometown in Austin, Texas. His parents, he told her were muggles, but very intuitive and sensitive. When they discovered his "talent" as they called it, they immediately contacted the best magical school and talked the board to accept him because he was so special. "The rest, as they say," he said lightly, "is history."

"Are you ever going to tell me what your special talent is?" she asked.

Graham laughed. "If I told you I'd have to kill you."

"You've said that already," she said laughing. "I hope you're not serious."

Graham just grinned.

The building wasn't in the best part of the village, but it was an established neighborhood. They walked up two flights of stairs and the she showed him the flat at the end of the hall.

"It has a nice view of the street from the balcony. There's one bed room, sitting room, nice kitchen and bath next to the bedroom," she said pointing out the accommodations. "The prior tenant got married and moved into a bigger place."

Graham looked around the space and nodded. "Nice," he said. "So where's your place?"

Lavender blushed. "Next door," she said. "It's just like this one."

"So we would be next door neighbors, then. I like that. You've sold me. When can I move in?"

"As soon as you want. Do you need this furniture? If you have your own, I can knock off a little on the rent."

"No, I need the furniture. I haven't a stick of my own."

"Where have you been living?"

"In a hotel. I was beginning to get stir crazy. I like the view here. If it's okay with you, I'll move in tomorrow. I probably should buy some towels and linens."

"I can loan you some if you'd like. And pots and pans."

"That would be great, but I can't cook so I'll be eating out a lot."

"Oh," she began shyly. "Since we're going to be neighbors you're welcome to my place anytime. I am a very good cook, but I hate just cooking for myself. I usually have my uncle over, he doesn't cook either. I am worried about him getting enough to eat. He's always so busy with his looking for family missions that I don't think he looks after himself. The last time he was gone he came back and took to his bed for a full week; I had to bring him chicken soup."

"Interesting," Graham said thoughtfully. "Well," he said after a pause, "I'm starving. Are you ready to eat? We have to celebrate my new apartment." He rubbed his hands together. "Ready? I guess I can sign whatever paperwork I need and I probably should pay you first and last months' rent. Any deposit?"

"I'll waive the deposit," she said. "Just don't tell my uncle."

"I promise," he said solemnly. "Now, where's the best place to get a drink and dinner around here? Or do you feel adventurous? I know a great place in muggle town."

Lavender's eyes lit up. "That sounds wonderful. I've never really traveled outside before. I've always wanted to see what it was like. At one point I was contemplating moving away from here, that was right after the war, and I was having nightmares. I thought getting away from this life would stop it, but I found Uncle Ephraim, or rather he found me, and now I'm not alone anymore."

"I'm so sorry, Lavender," he said taking her hand in his and kissing it. "You want to talk about it?"

Suddenly Lavender felt herself relax and she found herself wanting to talk to Graham about the war and what had happened to her.

"I was attacked by a, a, well, someone and I thought I was going to die or be changed."

He held her hand tighter and close to him. "Changed?"

"I was attacked by a werewolf, but he hadn't transformed and I was very, very lucky. I was treated at St. Mungo's with a special wolf's bane powder that kept me from having the symptoms. The scar, though," her voice trailed off. She touched her chest gently. "The werewolf's mark will always be there."

"I would like to see it," he said. "If you could show it to me."

Lavender pulled her hand back and shook her head. "No. I'm sorry, I can't." She stood back and hugged herself.

Graham smiled at her. "It's all right, Lavender. I won't push you."

They stood looking at each other. "Sorry," he said. "Do you still want to go out? I wouldn't blame you if you didn't. I was too pushy, wasn't I?"

Lavender smiled. "It isn't you; it's me. And yes I'd love to go out if you want to."

"Absolutely," he said swinging the door open. "After you."

They apparated to a park not far from the restaurant he had chosen for them. It was a trendy place in an upscale part of town. Graham was greeted warmly by the hostess who obviously recognized him. Her bright cheery smile faded when she saw Lavender, but she quickly recovered.

"How are you tonight, Mr. Bishop?" she cooed. "Usual table?"

He nodded and leaned over and spoke in Lavender's ear. "I told you I don't cook. This is my favorite restaurant. You'll love the food."

They followed the hostess to a table and he held the chair for her. They were given the menus and told a server would be with them shortly. "Your usual?" she asked.

"Yes, thank you. Lavender would you like a drink?" he asked.

"Oh," she said, "I wouldn't know what to get. I do like wine."

"Then wine it is." He ordered a glass of the house wine and told Lavender, "It's very good. I hope you enjoy it."

Lavender was very nervous. She was afraid of doing something to bring attention to herself and she desperately was trying to blend in. She looked over the menu, but couldn't decide what to have. She wanted to try new things, but she was afraid to try anything. Graham looked at her from his menu. He reached out and touched her hand.

"It's all right, Lavender," he said in a calming voice. "Would you like for me to choose for you?"

Lavender let out the breath she'd been holding since they sat down. She did feel calmer. "Thank you. I'd appreciate that. I've never been to a nice place like this. Everything looks so good."

The server brought their drinks and sat them down in front of them. "Are you ready to order or do you need a moment?" he asked patiently.

"I believe we're ready," Graham said. He ordered the lamb for both of them, and a salad with the house dressing. "We'll want dessert," he told him.

"Very good, sir," he said taking the menus.

Lavender watched the server leave. She smiled and put her hands in her lap and then took a sip of her wine. "It is good," she said, playing with the stem of the glass after setting it down on the white linen table cloth. "And I think I've figured out what your special talent is."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Graham arched one eyebrow. She surprised him when she said that she knew what his special talent was. He honestly didn't believe Lavender was that clever. She was pretty; no, she was gorgeous, and she wasn't dumb like Ron said she was, and she may have been a bit flaky before, but Graham could read her and he knew that she had suffered more than she let on during the war. He saw the loneliness but no bitterness after what happened to her as a result of Voldemort and the death eaters; one very dangerous death eater in particular. He couldn't get a full picture of who he was but he knew she had been badly hurt.

He needed to test her to see if she was capable of trusting him. She thought he could trust Ron, but Graham knew that he wanted her to trust only him. Ron was too overt about his ability to use Lavender; Graham was afraid that if Ron got to her, there was no hope for him.

He was about to respond to her when they were interrupted by the server delivering their plates. The lamb looked wonderful, but he was afraid it was too rare for her.

"Are you okay with the lamb? It's a little rare."

Lavender's eyes lit up. "Oh no," she said. "These days I like my meet extra rare. It looks perfect." She took a bite and smiled. "It's wonderful."

Graham watched as she ate. He remembered something Ron told him about being attacked during the Battle of Hogwarts. She'd been slashed by a werewolf, but he had not transformed. _What was his name?_

"Fenrir Greyback," he said out loud and Lavender dropped her fork with a loud clang on the china plate.

She began looking around with panic in her eyes. All the color washed from her face and she began shaking.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"What did you say?" she asked

"I asked you if you were all right," he said.

"No, before that," she whispered.

"Nothing," he said. "Oh shit, did I say that out loud? I'm so sorry; I have a habit of doing that. I honestly didn't mean to. I have conversations in my head and I was trying to remember his name. That's the werewolf that attacked you, right?"

She stared at him for the longest time unable to comprehend why Graham would be thinking of her attack much less say the name of the horrible man who'd disfigured her. He was so cavalier, no obvious concern for the trauma she experienced. Finally, she nodded dumbly. She pulled her sweater tighter to her chest. "He was killed," she said quietly.

"I know," he said. "A lot of people died that day, didn't they?"

Lavender thought he was exceptionally insensitive, but Graham's look was so sincere, that he honestly wanted to hear about the battle and what had happened to her that she felt she needed to answer his question.

"Yes," she said. "I try not to think about it."

"Of course not," he said taking her hand before she could continue. "I'm being unbelievably rude, aren't I?" He kissed her hand. "Forgive me; it's the American in me."

Lavender relaxed and chuckled. "You are rather plain spoken, is that an American trait as well?"

He grimaced. "I was hoping that was one of my endearing qualities. I'm sorry. I'm just fascinated by you and I want to know all about you and I'm a little impatient. Forgive me?" He kissed her hand again.

She blushed and looked down at her plate. She wasn't used to being flattered. She ate silently for a while but could feel his eyes on her. She looked up and smiled and he smiled back.

"Lovely," he said.

They enjoyed rest of their meal in relative quiet. After the server poured their wine, Graham asked to see the dessert cart. He chose a very decadent chocolate cake which they shared. After the meal, they walked back to her uncle's shop where she finished the paperwork on the rental.

"Would you like to see your flat again?" she asked coyly.

Graham smiled to himself. "I wouldn't mind. You haven't told me what you think my special talent is." He was teasing her.

She blushed again. He liked to see her flustered because she looked adorably vulnerable. "Oh," she said, "that."

"Well." He crossed his arms across his chest. "I'm waiting."

"You're going to think it's silly," she began. "I think you have a talent for putting people at ease so they will open up to you, telling you things they wouldn't dream of saying or doing otherwise."

He chuckled. "That would be special, wouldn't it? Shall we go?"

He escorted her back to his new flat and before long Lavender suggested that they go to her place for a nightcap. Graham didn't want to rush her, but he got the feeling she had dealt with a lot of rejection in her life, so he agreed.

Once inside the door, she immediately headed for her balcony. "Sorry," she said apologetically, "but I've been craving a fag all night."

She lit a cigarette and exhaled blissfully. She looked at him and explained, "It helps me calm my nerves."

"Didn't think anyone smoked anymore," he walked stepping up closer to her. He took the cigarette out of her hand and took a long drag. Blowing a long stream of smoke, he handed it back to her.

"You smoke?" she asked.

"Not very often, but you're right, it does calm the nerves."

Lavender leaned her head against the brick wall. They shared the cigarette silently. They watched each other, neither one saying a word.

Finally, Lavender flicked the butt over the railing when they finished. "Are you perfect?" she asked him.

"Far from it," he chuckled. "In fact, I'm the closest thing to the most imperfect man. I keep having wicked thoughts about you. I'm trying to be good but I'm afraid I'm losing the battle."

Before Lavender could utter a response Graham was kissing her. Instinctively she wrapped her arms around his neck, urging him on. He was working frantically on unbuttoning her blouse when she came to her senses. She stepped back, pulling her shirt together.

"Please don't," she whispered.

He put his hand on hers and gently pushed it away, exposing her. He bent down to her chest and kissed the scars tenderly. "You're beautiful," he whispered. He let out a cleansing breath and reluctantly pushed away from him. "Don't be afraid of me, Lavender. I won't hurt you."

"If only I could believe that," she said, touching his face.

"Trust me," he said, kissing her gently. He led her back inside and kissed her again. "I want you."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Lavender woke up slowly. She sleepily reached for other side of the bed but sadly discovered she was alone. She didn't know when he left her the night before because she fell asleep on her sofa in his arms. He must have moved her before he left. She thought about what he'd told her and how much of a true gentleman he was not to try to take advantage of her vulnerable state. She was sure he would have stayed if she'd just asked, but when she told him no, he look disappointed, but didn't press the issue.

Ron never took no for an answer, she thought. That was the difference. Graham treated her with respect and was very patient. Ron had no patience with her and didn't seem to respect her at all. He told her that it was because she was so hot, he couldn't resist her.

Deep down, even after everything that happened between her and Ron if it were to come down to choosing Graham or Ron, she wasn't sure she'd choose the right one. She laughed at herself. There would be no choice for her, she thought. She couldn't have either because she had already discovered that being happy wasn't in the stars.

She slipped into her dressing as she walked to her kitchen when she heard a soft rapping on the front door. She smiled as she was greeted by Graham who was holding a pastry box from an unfamiliar bakery.

"Good morning, neighbor," he said holding up the box. "I brought breakfast but only if you tell me you can make coffee."

"As a matter of fact," Lavender said laughing, "I make very good coffee. Come in."

There was a single awkward moment when she stepped aside and he entered her flat and for a split second, she thought he was going to kiss her. He'd leaned into her, but at the last moment shook his head like he was trying to decide something, and walked past her.

"Then I shall have to marry you," he said jokingly, "for there are no decent coffee brewers in all of Great Britain and Northern Ireland."

Lavender blushed and giggled. "That's another reason," he said, stroking her cheek lightly. "You blush easily."

"Did you sleep in your new flat?" she asked, too embarrassed to continue the direction of Graham's conversation. "I'm sorry I fell asleep on you last night. Too much wine, I guess. I don't drink very often. Uncle Ephraim tells me I can't hold my spirits at all."

Graham grinned. He put the pastries on a plate and sat down at the dining room table while Lavender made coffee. After a few minutes, she brought two steaming cups to the table and sat one in front of Graham.

"What are these?" she asking pointing to a particular pastry.

"Bear claw," he said. "I buy these from a muggle pastry shop in town owned by Americans. I have to have my sweet fix every day. Please help yourself and enjoy." Lavender delicately picked up one of the bear claws and took a bite.

"It's divine," she said. "How's the coffee?"

Graham sipped the hot steaming brew and nodded appreciatively. "Excellent," he praised. "Perfect." He put the cup back on the table. "So," he said offhandedly, "any more word from your uncle?" He picked up the cup again and took a bigger sip.

Lavender looked down at her breakfast sadly. She remembered why he was there and why he was so interested in her. She sighed and took another bite of the pastry to hide the disappointed feeling in her chest. "No," she said quietly, shaking her head as she fought back tears.

If Graham was affected by Lavender's change in demeanor, he didn't let on. They ate their breakfast in silence.

"Would you like some more coffee?" Lavender asked, somewhat stilted after a while.

"Yes, I would, but you stay seated, I'll get it. You want some more, too?"

Lavender nodded. She kept her head down, not wanted to look at Graham; afraid she would give her disappointment away.

"Lavender," Graham said magicking the coffee pot to the table. "The only reason I asked about your uncle was that I could honestly tell my boss I was here on business. They kind of frown on me skiving off." He sounded so matter-of-fact, like he hadn't noticed Lavender being upset. He grinned at her, rather chagrined. "You won't tell them I just came here to look at you in your dressing gown, will you?"

Lavender gasped and held her robe together with her hand. "Oh my, I didn't realize…I'm so sorry, Graham, I usually don't…" She turned a bright red and he chuckled. He stood up and kiss her cheek gently.

"What's this?" came a booming voice from behind them.

Graham's eyes did not move from Lavender's face. Without turning around, he said, "Hello Ephraim. You're a hard man to find." He whirled around facing the old man. "My name's Graham Bishop from the Auror Division."

Lavender didn't know if her uncle was going to faint dead away, run away or draw his wand. She had never seen the look on his face before in her life. He looked panicked. His hand slid into his coat, but his wand flew out and clanged on the floor in front of Graham. Graham held his hand over Ephraim's wand and it floated into his hand.

"Ephraim, Ephraim, Ephraim," Graham tsked, shaking his head. "Lavender, why don't you go into your room and get dressed while your uncle and I have a little chat."

"What's going on, Uncle?" Lavender asked as Graham gently pushed her toward her bedroom.

"Everything will be all right," Ephraim assured her. "Do as he says."

"Please tell me what's going on," she said looking from her uncle to Graham.

"Lavender, please," they said together.

"Everything's fine, really. I just need to ask him a few questions down at the Ministry. Graham smiled at her. "He'll be back in a few hours. Honestly. I promise you there is absolutely nothing to worry about."

"Do as you're told, girl," Ephraim said gruffly. "Now!" He turned back to Graham and he began to cry. "Don't hurt her; she doesn't know what's going on."

"I know," Graham said quietly. "I'd never hurt her. Let's go." He held on to Ephraim as they disapparated with a loud pop.

Lavender hurriedly dressed and as she was running out the door, she ran into Ron who was about to knock on the door. "Tell me what's going on!" she yelled, pulling hard on Ron's hand. "Graham took him; my uncle. You've got to help him, Ron. Please. Take me to him now. There has to be some horrible mistake; my uncle isn't a criminal." She collapsed into his arm, sobbing.

"Don't worry, Lav," he said with a low, husky voice. He pulled her closer to his chest whispering soothingly in her ear. "I'll help you. I won't let Graham hurt your uncle."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Take me to the Ministry, Ron, please," she begged, burying her face in his chest. "I can't leave my uncle all alone. He hasn't done anything wrong, I know it."

Ron took advantage of Lavender's state and held her closer. "Of course I will, Lav."

"You'll tell me what you want to talk to him about, won't you?" she asked suddenly.

Ron's face grew really red and he stuttered, "Lav, it's an ongoing investigation, I don't think…"

Lavender pulled herself away. "All right! But take me to him. I have a right to see my uncle."

Finally Ron agreed and they apparated to the Ministry of Magic, Auror Division. The place was abuzz with activity. It seemed like every Auror had been called in and that a huge operation was in the process of being launched.

Lavender held on to Ron tightly as he made his way through the crowd of Aurors. He stopped in front of the Assistant Minister's office to find out which room they were keeping Ephraim. The secretary looked like Ron was talking gibberish.

"Where's Graham?" he asked starting to sound mildly hysterical.

"He's _your_ partner, Weasley. How would I know?"

"But he apparated here not five minutes ago."

The secretary shrugged. "Well, he didn't come in here."

Lavender's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh no!" she said. "You were right about him!" Lavender began to sob. "My poor uncle, Ron, help him!" Ron wrapped his arms around her protectively.

"Is Harry here?" Ron asked.

Harry, of course, was the Head of the Auror Division, and Ron's best friend, Harry Potter. It was Harry who insisted on recruiting Graham despite the objections from half the Ministry of Magic. The official reason was that he was a foreigner but insiders knew the real opposition had nothing to do with his nationality.

Lavender had no idea how close she had come to guessing Graham's special talent, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. She was about to see exactly what made Graham Bishop special.

"Of course Mr. Potter's here, Weasley. He's in his office."

"Come on, Lavender," Ron said, pulling her arm as he led her into the largest office on the floor.

He knocked timidly at first, and then a little harder.

"Come in," said a voice from behind the door.

Ron opened the door and stepped inside in front of Lavender. "Harry," he said.

"Come in, Ron. We've been waiting for you. Oh, hello, Lavender. You look well."

As soon as Lavender walked in there was a shift in the room. She turned and saw Graham standing up.

"Where's my uncle?" she asked him.

"He's safe," Harry said, immediately.

"Is he being sent to Azkaban?"

"Oh no, of course not," Harry said, obviously surprised at Lavender's question. "You may take him home in a little while. You are going to have him released today, aren't you, Graham?"

"Absolutely, sir. It shouldn't be too much longer." Graham's smile looked a little strange to Lavender. What was he hiding?

She looked at Ron who honestly looked more confused than she felt. Ron had only partnered with Graham for a short time and frankly he didn't understand Harry's attachment to him. This made Ron feel slighted but Harry assured Ron when he assigned Graham as his partner that he was doing it because he trusted him implicitly and he was the only one Harry believed in enough to look out after Graham. Ron was beginning to suspect that he was chosen because no one else wanted him as a partner due to the rumours surrounding him.

"Graham, why don't you take Miss Brown to the releasing area? I need to talk with Ron for a minute," Harry said.

Graham nodded and took Lavender's arm to escort her out. His smile looked more genuine now. "Lavender," he urged her toward the door.

Lavender wasn't one hundred percent sure she wanted to leave with Graham, but she did trust Harry. She gave him a quick smile and the two of them stepped into what Lavender believed was the hallway, but Lavender found herself unbelievably outside in the warm sunshine standing by a lake. Funny, she thought to herself, this reminds me so much of the lake at Hogwarts. She turned and saw the large Merlin's Oak where she used to spend quiet afternoons with her best friend Padma Patril and where she and Ron spent many more countless hours snogging.

"What?" Lavender began. "Am I going mad?"

"You're not really here," Graham said, comfortingly, "but I wanted you to feel at ease. I know this was one of your favorite places and you have some very happy memories here. I have to tell you some things and I thought this was the best place to do that. Let's sit down by that tree."

She let him walk her to the tree and then they sat down. He touched her shoulder reassuringly for a moment and then she ran her fingers through the grass beside her.

"It feels real," she said.

He nodded. "You asked me about my special talent and you thought I could make people do what I wanted them to do. I wish I could because I would make you trust me and believe me that my feelings for you are real." Graham licked his lips and smoothed back the errant strand of hair from his eyes nervously. Lavender did not look like she was ready to listen to any more declarations from Graham. Frankly, he frightened her.

"What can you do then?" she asked not kindly.

He cleared his throat. "I can make people see what I want them to see and sometimes those pictures aren't very pretty."

Lavender looked at him and understood what he was trying to say to her.

"My uncle?"

Graham looked down at his hands for a moment. "Your uncle is fine. Harry doesn't want to prosecute him, but he'll be in a bad place for a little while longer."

"A bad place?" She didn't understand.

"In his mind; I promise you he won't be harmed at all. Nothing will be permanent."

"I don't understand," Lavender said.

"I know."

"What did he do?" She asked. She honestly thought he wouldn't tell her anything and this time she was going to insist.

"He was death eater hunter," he said finally.

"What? I can't believe my uncle would even do anything like that, I don't believe it."

"It is true. After the war he met up with other wizards who had lost family members to the death eaters. Your uncle was afraid they would never come to justice; so he and his group hunted them down. Every time he received information about a death eater's whereabouts, he and the others would pursue them. His cover was telling everyone that he was looking for family members who had disappeared."

"But going after death eaters is a good thing," she said earnestly. "Isn't it?"

"No, not the way your uncle went after them. The Ministry has a whole department that tracks war criminals, and they certainly don't need civilians getting in their way. We're looking for justice and not vigilantism. Despite what some people think, the Ministry is very professional and those who fled after the war are being brought back to account for their crimes."

"Was the man I saw a death eater?" Lavender asked.

Graham nodded. "We think so. Your uncle put himself and you in a very dangerous position. Once the death eaters found out your uncle's name, then they were going after him. Luckily for him they aren't very smart and were only beginning to get suspicious."

Lavender shuddered. "I'm sure my uncle thought he was doing the right thing. Death eaters killed my family and his. We have no one left." A small tear ran down her cheek and Graham started to wipe it away, but dropped his hand. "We only have each other." She swiped away the tear herself.

"He doesn't have the right to be above the law."

"I know," she agreed quietly. "So, what exactly did you do to him?"

Graham cleared his throat. "I'm making him understand what he did or rather how he went about what he did was wrong."

"Are you torturing him?" she asked.

He'd never been asked that question before. Torture? What exactly did that mean? He didn't inflict physical pain, but mental pain was another thing. There was a time when he wasn't so kind and had used his powers to exact revenge on others. But they deserved the punishment they got, he rationalized.

"The ministry calls it punishment without permanent harm," he said methodically. "He understands now that his methods, while well intended, were extremely misguided. But, you'll be happy to know that the Ministry intends to utilize your uncle and he promised to be more forthcoming about his searches. So, you see, everything is working out well." Graham smiled and hoped that Lavender would be satisfied with that information and not ask the very basic question he dreaded to answer.

She thought about what he'd said to her and mulled it over for a moment. She looked around her and seemed quite happy to be back on Hogwarts grounds. A gentle breeze stirred her hair and she closed her eyes enjoying the warmth on her face.

"How did you know this was my favorite place on earth?" she asked, still keeping her eyes closed.

_Damn!_ Graham thought. Should he lie to her? _Lucky guess? _He couldn't very well tell her that he knew all her thoughts; except those that he intentionally chose to block. Would she believe him once she found out that he could read her mind that he honestly didn't know her most intimate dreams? No, she wouldn't believe that and she would feel a trust had been violated.

He just smiled at her. "If I tell you I'd have to kill you."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Graham looked at the innocent expression on her face. He was praying she didn't notice the panicked one on his. He shrugged his shoulders. "Most of us have happy places and since you've been through so much, I just figured that the days at your school before all this mess, must have been happy for you. Did I guess right?"

Lavender blushed and nodded. "Before all the mess happened is a very good description of my life," she said.

"Do you want to go back?" he asked reaching his hand out for her.

She thought about that for a moment and nodded. "Are you sure my uncle isn't harmed?" She took his hand.

"Yes, I promise. It sounds a lot worse than it is," he said, hoping his voice sounded light.

"Good," she said. "Yes, we should go back. I want to see him."

Lavender blinked and the next thing she knew she was standing outside Harry's office. She wondered if what she had just experienced was real or she had imagined it. Graham was standing next to her smiling shyly.

He looked like he wanted to ask her something but he didn't say a word until a door next to Harry's office swung opened and out came Lavender's uncle Ephraim. He was being escorted by two rather large and menacing wizards. Ephraim looked quite pale, but at least he was standing on his own two feet. He looked at Lavender with a rather dazed look and when his face turned to Graham; his eyes were filled with fear. Before he had the chance to run away or collapse on the floor, Graham said calmly, "Ephraim, you may go now. Your niece will take you home."

Ephraim's eyes shifted to Lavender and he visibly relaxed. "Thank you, Mr. Bishop." His head hung low in a submissive manner. Graham smiled at him, but he cringed slightly when he touched his shoulder.

Lavender took her uncle arm and kissed his cheek. "Are you ready to go home now?"

Ephraim looked at Graham before answering. "Yes." He started toward the door hesitantly as if he thought Graham would stop them, but he stepped aside and let them pass.

"Good-bye, Lavender. May I see you later?" Graham asked politely.

Ephraim stiffened, but Lavender didn't seem to notice. "I'd like that."

He pushed her through the hall before Lavender could say anything else.

"I'm hungry," he said, pushing her. "Let's go to the Leaky Cauldron for a drink, er, a bite to eat."

"Of course, Uncle," she said.

"Well," said Graham, "I have bunches of reports to file and bad guys to find. I'll see you later, Lavender." He quickly kissed her cheek and once again Ephraim cringed.

He watched them leave and then walked silently down the long, dark hall.

Lavender and Ephraim went into the Leaky Cauldron and took a seat. Ephraim slid into a hard wooden booth toward the back of the tavern. Lavender called a server who magicked the hundreds year old menu to their table along with a complimentary stein of mead. Ephraim gulped the drink down quickly and then reached for Lavender's.

"Uncle, are you all right?" she asked.

"Couldn't be better," he tried to smile.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked. She'd never seen her uncle so nervous or frightened.

"No!" he snapped quickly. He took another huge gulp of the mead. "So, girlie," he said nervously after wiping his mouth. "How long have you known Mr. Bishop?"

She shrugged shyly. "Not long. He moved into number fourteen flat. Did you know he's partnering with Ron Weasley? You remember Ron, don't you?"

"Yeah, I know Weasley." Ephraim took another long drink and set the stein back on the table hard. "Lavender, I don't want you to see him."

"Who? Ron?" she asked confused.

"Bishop!" he yelled. "He's a very dangerous man."

"What did he do to you?"

"Nothing, nothing, girlie. I'm fine, really. He's just, uh… I don't want you to get hurt."

"Tell me what he showed you," she insisted.

"You know about that?" he asked, appalled.

"Yes, he showed me some things and explained what he was able to do. He took me to Hogwarts."

Ephraim harrumphed. "I wish I had gone to Hogwarts," he said quietly.

"Uncle, please, tell me."

He shook his head. "I can't."

"You could have been sent to Azkaban," Lavender said.

Ephraim nodded. "Or worse," he agreed. "I know what I did was wrong; but I did it for all the right reasons. You must believe that. And I never wanted to get you involved."

"What did you do?" She placed his hand over his.

Ephraim began to sob. "I'm so sorry, Lavender. Please forgive me. I hunted death eaters. I killed them; it was all for revenge. I didn't trust the Ministry to hunt them down. I wanted to kill them all, just like they killed our family. I wanted them all dead!"

"But—"

"I know. It wasn't my place to be judge, jury and executioner. I was wrong."

Lavender didn't know what to say, so she waited until Ephraim stopped sobbing. He shook his head sadly. "But now I'm going to be working with the Ministry; I've given them all the information we had on possible locations of death eaters."

"That's a good thing. Now you won't be in danger."

Ephraim nodded and then shrugged. "Yes," he said. "Everything worked out very well."

"Graham told me that you could have been sent away," Lavender said.

"Or executed."

"So Graham did a good thing. Harry didn't want you to be so severely punished."

He shuddered. "Yes, I owe Harry my life."

"And Graham," Lavender said gently.

He patted her hand and picked up the menu. "I'm starving; let's eat. What looks good?" He finally decided on the mutton sandwich while Lavender chose a hearty stew. They ate in silence and their steins were kept full of mead.

After they ate, Lavender walked him home and before he turned to leave, he took her hand. "Lavender, please listen to me. Bishop is a very dangerous man. Please stay clear of him. There's no telling what he could do to you and you not even realize it until it was too late. Promise me!"

Lavender started to reply, but she had no idea what to say to her uncle. She wasn't afraid of Graham, but the only things he'd shown her was her happiest memories. She didn't want to believe her would hurt her.

"Promise me, Lavender!" said Ephraim again. And then he was gone leaving her a whole night to think about things.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Lavender stayed up late that night writing a letter. She sent her owl out right after midnight and went to bed. She didn't hear from Graham and she didn't hear him go into his flat. She hoped she'd get a response from her owl before she saw him again. She hoped she hadn't sounded so desperate, but she was looking for answers and to her mind there was only one person who would tell her the truth.

Lavender awoke to a soft tapping on her door. She dressed quickly and opened the door expecting to see an owl, but she was surprised to see Harry Potter standing outside her door.

"Hello, Lavender," he said pleasantly. "I understand you have some concerns about Graham."

Her face turned a bright shade of red. "I didn't want to bother you and I certainly didn't expect you to come all the way over here."

"I was in the neighborhood," he said casually. "May I come in?"

"Absolutely," she said, stepping aside so he could enter.

"I'm sorry I'm here so early, but I wanted to drop by before I went to work. Your owl sounded rather urgent."

"Please sit down. Would you like some tea?"

"If you have some made," he said graciously.

Lavender led him into her sitting room and ran into the kitchen and quickly magicked a pot of tea. He waited patiently as she poured him a stout cup.

"Thank you," he said and took a sip. "Now, about Graham."

"Do you think I'm being silly?"

Harry looked at her oddly. "No, of course not. I understand your concerns. Graham is definitely a different sort of fellow."

She nodded and took a sip of her tea. Grimacing, she added two scoops of sugar to her tea. "You trust him, though?"

He nodded, waiting for her to finish her thought before replying.

"Ron doesn't like him at all," she said.

Harry laughed. "Ron doesn't like the competition. He was always protective of you, you know."

"No," she sighed. "I didn't know. We were boyfriend-girlfriend for such a short time and I always knew he loved Hermione, not me."

"But he did care for you, Lavender."

She shrugged. "Maybe." She took another sip and watched Harry as he set his cup in its saucer and place it on the table.

"He did." He smiled again. "But we're not here to talk about Ron, are we?"

Lavender blushed again and shook her head. "No."

"Do I think Graham is sincere in his affection for you? Yes, I do. He was upset when I asked him to 'deal' with your uncle. His only concern was what you would think of him. I needed him, Lavender. He has a special talent that the Ministry desires in order to deal with those who decide to take the law into their own hands. The Minister wants this matter settled with as little collateral damage as possible. I believe that your uncle's heart was in the right place; it's his methods that we couldn't condone. I didn't see sending him to Azkaban to serve time with death eaters; he wouldn't have lasted a day there, so that's why I made the decision to utilize Graham's talents for the good of the Ministry. It was totally my call." He looked at Lavender. "And I stand by my decision."

"I don't know what to think about Graham; I'm worried that he is too 'out there' for me. I don't know if I can trust him. His ability to manipulate the mind frightens me, Harry."

"I understand completely. I can tell you that it frightens him, too. His relationship with you is a first for him. He's never reached out before because of who he is and what he can do."

"Would you hate me if I chose Ron?" Lavender asked. She held her breath.

Harry looked at her surprised. "I didn't realize you had to choose one over the other. Ron is my best friend and so is Hermione."

"But aren't they separated?" Lavender asked, knowing that Harry would tell her the truth.

Harry shrugged. "It's not my place to gossip, Lavender, and I refuse to speculate. You're going to have to ask Ron that question yourself. I don't want to get into something that isn't my business. You asked me about Graham and I'm being honest with you. He has a lot of demons, and I honestly believe that he needs someone who will love him and show him the patience he needs for a relationship." Harry looked at his watch and stood up. "I have to go," he said. "Go deep inside yourself and ask how does Graham make you feel? Do I think he is worth the effort? I think you'll have your answer."

He walked to the front door and Lavender followed behind him. He turned and kissed Lavender kindly on the cheek and smiled. "I hope I've been some help. It was great seeing you and I hope to get to see you again soon."

"Thanks, Harry. I appreciate your candor."

Harry laughed. "I'm not really sure I was any help."

"Oh yes. You answered all my concerns." She giggled. "Well, most of them any way. Thanks for coming by, Harry."

"My pleasure." And then he was gone.

Lavender stared at the door wishing the bell to ring. She wanted to talk to Graham and let him know that she wasn't scared of him. She wasn't sure if she could ever have a relationship with him, but she felt it was worth a try. That is, if he'd ever speak to her again. She was afraid that he'd make up his mind never to talk to her again. She sighed as she cleared away the tea pot and cups. Why did life have to be so damn complicated? It was going to be a very long day.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Lavender wasn't sure what she would find when she walked into her uncle's office. She was still thinking about what Harry had said to her. He seemed to believe in Graham and Harry Potter was the most honest wizard Lavender knew and he was an excellent judge of character. He was also the most ego-less wizard she'd ever known. Harry's decisions were based on careful thought and not what others would think about him. He never took a poll for popular opinion; he did the right thing.

Ephraim was sitting at his desk talking to one of his tenants when she walked in. He glanced at the enormous wall clock and nodded dismissively at Lavender without missing a beat. Lavender smiled to herself as she sat down at her own desk and began opening the stack of letters before her. _Well, _she thought_, looks like everything's back to normal._

It was as if nothing had happened the day before. Ephraim was back to his cranky self and after an anxious half hour where Lavender was waiting for him to speak to her, she began her normal routine.

At ten o'clock, Lavender looked up at the sound of the bell at the door. She looked with surprise at the enormous bouquet of purple flowers before her. The delivery man from _Lassiter's Rosies and Bowsies_ smiled at her, holding out the bouquet.

"Lavender Brown?" he asked pleasantly.

Lavender blushed and stood up quickly. "Yes?"

"Delivery for you, ma'am," he said politely, tipping his hat.

"I wonder who would send me flowers?" she asked rhetorically. She took the beautiful bouquet and quickly opened the attached card. The note was hand written in smudged letter that simply read, "Your friendship means the world to me. Sincerely."

She blushed again and smiled. The card wasn't signed and she had no idea who would be sending her flowers. The first name that popped in her head was quickly dismissed. Why on earth would Ron Weasley send her flowers? More than likely, her secret admirer must be Graham. Of course it was he. She imagined that he would be trying to get on her good side.

Ephraim looked up from his messy desk. "Did you rent the upstairs?"

Lavender quickly put the card in her pocket and nodded. "Um, yes, Uncle. That's the flat I rented to, uh…"

"Who?" he asked impatiently.

"Graham Bishop," she said.

She watched as all the color drained from Ephraim's from his face. "Oh," he said finally. "Well, that's fine."

"I didn't collect a deposit," she told him, figuring this was the best time to mention that fact.

She watched as her uncle's face went from palest white to deepest red. He didn't say anything for the longest time as he gripped the edges of his desk fighting for control, his hands shaking. "Did you charge him rent?" he asked.

"Of course I did. He paid first and last months' rent."

Ephraim nodded. "Fine, fine." He cleared his throat. "What about the other one on Jester?"

"Not yet."

"I'm losing money, Lavender," he said.

"Yes, sir. Sorry. It's advertised."

That seemed to satisfy him for the moment and they slipped into their usual comfortable silence. They worked until lunch and Ephraim told her he was going back to his place and take a nap. He told her to go ahead and lock up at closing time; he probably wouldn't be back.

The rest of the afternoon went smoothly. Several wizards called about the rentals and she made appointments for the next day. By the end of the day she was tired and wanted nothing more than to go home and take a bath. She grabbed her flowers and locked up.

She was thinking about what she was going to have for dinner as she hit the hallway to her home when she saw Graham who was either leaving or entering his flat.

"Those are beautiful flowers," he said abruptly. "You have a secret admirer?"

"Thank you." She inhaled the sweet fragrance. "Apparently I do."

"Oh. Lucky bastard." He smiled wanly and closed his front door and turned toward the hall. She watched as he walked toward the stairs.

"Wait, Graham," she said. He stopped and turned around. "I thought you'd sent me the flowers."

He looked at her and then looked down at the floor. "No," he said quietly. "I didn't. Have a nice evening."

"Oh! Well, thank you. You, too."

Frankly, Lavender didn't know what else to say. Graham looked like someone had just killed his kitten. She wanted to reassure him, but she had no idea how to do that.

"Graham, wait!" she said running after him. "I'm about to make dinner. Would you like to join me?"

He looked at her for the longest time and she was beginning to feel uncomfortable. Finally he smiled and shook his head. "I have to work. Another time?"

"The invitation's always open," she said hopefully.

"Good to know. Thanks. Who do you think gave you the flowers?"

She shrugged. "Maybe Ron? I really don't have a clue."

He nodded slightly and resumed walking down the hall. She watched him disappear down the stairs and then she went into her apartment.

Half an hour later there was a soft knock on her door. Thinking it was Graham, she flung open the door with his name on her lips. "Oh!" she said pursing her lips together. "I thought…Ron! Come in!"


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Okay, I realize that it has been WAY too long since I've updated this story. I am very sorry about that. I have just returned from the funeral of my muse and I hope another with grace me with new inspiration. I could just quit writing and say "The end" but I really love this story and I'm going to finish. Thanks for your patience and I hope you haven't given up on me completely. Love, Rita.**

Chapter 13

Ron seemed rather reluctant to enter her flat, but she pulled him in. Both stood looking at each other, nervous to begin a conversation.

"I see you got the flowers I sent," Ron said, finally.

"Oh yes, Ron, they're gorgeous. Thank you so much. But why did you send me flowers?"

"I've been thinking about you a lot lately and I just wanted to let you know that you're important to me and I want to be your, uh, friend." Ron looked like he was struggling with his thoughts. "And I know you've gone through a rough patch with your uncle and Graham."

Lavender frowned. She didn't especially want to be reminded of Graham just now. She was torn between the effect he had on her and the fact that he terrified her. She just nodded, and then shook her head to remove the lingering image she had of Graham smiling at her.

"I need you to tell me everything you know about Graham," she said, dragging Ron into her sitting room and pushing him into her overstuffed chair.

"That's not exactly why I came here, Lav," Ron said. "I just came to see you. I can't get you out of my mind. Like I told you before, I'm so lonely now that…" his voice trailed off.

"Now that Hermione is in Australia visiting her sick mother ," she finished for him.

Ron's face flushed and he swore under his breath. "I honestly don't know why Graham told you that; we _are_ separated," he said emphatically. You don't think I'd actually come over to see you if that were the truth?"

"I don't know. You've always wanted our 'friendship' on your terms and I've always cared so much about you that I think I would have taken you on any terms. Maybe that's not enough anymore."

"I've always cared about you, too," Ron said. "I'll do anything to prove that to you."

"Then tell me everything you know about Graham."

"He's a dangerous wizard," Ron said.

"I _know_ that," she said impatiently. "Tell me something I don't know."

"Harry doesn't trust him," Ron lied.

Lavender looked at Ron's face. She knew he was lying, not only because Harry told her the exact opposite, but because she could always tell when Ron lied. She'd just been too distracted by her feelings to admit that and accepted everything he'd told her.

"Why do you think he paired me with him?" Ron continued, encouraged by Lavender's silence.

"You knew what he was capable of and you didn't warn me?" Lavender asked.

Ron was red-faced again. He stammered. "I, uh, I didn't think he'd use it against you like that."

She looked like that placated her, so he continued. "Did you know that he can project his will without physical contact? He's very powerful."

"So, theoretically speaking, it could be that you're not really here; you're just an image that Graham put in my head."

"Yes! Exactly!" Ron said. "Of course, it really _is_ me."

"And when Harry came round and talked to me, that could have been Graham, too," Lavender said, frowning.

"Harry came round?" Ron asked.

Lavender nodded, distracted by her thoughts. What could she believe? If what Ron said was true, then Graham could be the most powerful wizard in the world, capable of extreme evil.

"Or extreme good," Lavender said out loud. Ron looked at her confused. "I want to talk to Graham," she said finally.

"Why, Lavender? He'll just confused and confund you."

"Maybe," she said thoughtfully. "It couldn't be any worse than I am right now; my head feels like it's going to burst. I keep thinking I know what I want, but the more I think about it the more confused I get. Why does it have to be this complicated?"

"It's not all that complicated, Lavender," Ron said stroking her cheek gently. "And you know your true feelings in your heart."

"I thought I did. And I thought that I was pretty smart, but now I find out that my own uncle is a criminal."

"That's a bit harsh. Your uncle was just doing what he thought was right," Ron said.

"Surely you of all people don't condone taking the law into one's own hands, do you?"

"That's not what I meant, Lav," he insisted.

"Then what did you mean?" Lavender asked irritably. "If we behave as the death eaters did, then we're no better than they are. And I can't believe he put his life in danger or my life, for that matter."

"I just thought you'd be a little more sympathetic is all I meant, considering what happened to all of us during the war."

Lavender sighed. She was never one to hold a grudge and she tried not to think about what happened to her at the hands of Fenrir Greyback and what happened to her parents and brothers. The war was over and she was able to start over. She was alive and she was grateful for that.

Taking a deep, determined breath, Lavender headed for her front door. "I'm sorry, Ron, but I have to go."

"But, Lav," he said confused. "This is your flat."

"I know. I'm just…I mean, oh dear, I don't mean to be rude, but please leave. I'll talk to you later, hopefully. Good bye, Ron." She literally pushed him toward the door. "Thank you for dropping by and thank you for the flowers." She ran past him and stopped in front of Graham's door. She knocked hard on the door as Ron, extremely red-faced walked hurriedly down the hall just as the door opened.

"Hi," Graham said looking at Ron as he sped away.

"Hi," she said shyly. "Can we talk?"

He looked at her for a second and then nodded, stepping out of the door so she could pass.

"I liked what you've done to the flat," she said absently.

He glanced around the room. The room was tidy, which is something she didn't expect; most of the male tenants were horrible house keepers.

"Thank you," he said politely. Neither said a word for a full minute, so he asked her if she wanted to sit down.

"No, yes, oh! I don't know."

"Okay."

"You have me confunded!" she said falling into the nearest chair.

"I'm sorry?" he said. "No," he said, understanding what she said for the first time. "No, Lavender, I haven't done anything, I promise."

"Why do I feel so confused then?"

"I, uh-"

"That's rhetorical, Graham!" she said blowing out a loud breath. "I know what you do; what you can do and I'm thinking I don't think it matters."

Graham looked at her; he wanted to say something, but all of a sudden he couldn't speak because he knew if he spoke at that moment it would be the wrong thing, so he just nodded.

Lavender felt like she was going to cry. She stamped her foot like a petulant child. "Are you going to say anything?" she asked. "I'm so confused about everything. I don't think I should feel this way. I could have Ron right now, but no! I have to come over here and get humiliated!"

"I don't mean to humiliate you; I just don't know what to say," he said. "No, I said that wrong. I know what I _want_ to say, but I don't want to run you off. I do that a lot. Most wizards are afraid of me. I have done some pretty bad things; things I wish I could take back. But I don't want to be bad. I don't dream about power. Do you know what I dream about?"

Lavender shook her head.

"I dream about having a normal life; falling in love, sharing my life with someone." He laughed bitterly. "Hell, I even dream about having friends. Lavender, once I didn't think any of that was possible, but the first time I saw you, I knew I just didn't want to dream about it anymore; I even thought about willing you to me, making you want me, but I couldn't bring myself to do that. I wanted you to want me."

"It won't be easy," Lavender said.

"No," he agreed. "There's more wrong with me than right."

Lavender shook her head and touched his cheek shyly. "Maybe that's something we can work on. Together," she said.

"Are you sure?" Graham asked.

She nodded and then shook her head. "No, but I want to try."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Who else but Lavender Brown would take a giant leap of faith without even checking for a safety net? But now, she decided to trust her instincts. Yes, the same ones that had failed her numerous times before but she believed with all her heart that Graham was the sort of man he told her he wanted to be.

Despite his 'special talents' he didn't frighten her at all. If anything he made her feel secure for the first time in a very long time. He treated her with such kindness that she thought her heart would break. She had never felt so loved in all her life.

Word got out somehow of Graham's job at the Ministry and people became very afraid of him. Everyone seemed to avoid the pair when they walked out in public. It didn't seem to bother Graham, he told her he was used to it, but Lavender was appalled that people shunned him. Wizards avoided him on the streets, casting their eyes down, pulling their children and wives close to them.

"Those horrible people!" Lavender sobbed into Graham's chest when they returned from what was supposed to be a special night out on the town.

Lavender made reservations at her favorite restaurant to celebrate Graham's birthday. It was supposed to be a quiet, intimate affair, but as soon as the two walked in, the place got very quiet and all eyes were on them. There were hushed whispering and pointing fingers. Lavender was embarrassed and begged Graham to take her home, but told her he wanted to stay. She'd gone to so much trouble for him. The last straw was when four wizards came running out of the loo just as Graham walked inside. He acted like nothing had happened, but Lavender was mortified.

"I wish you had done something horrible to those people," she said.

"What would you have me do?" He asked quietly. His voice was extremely calm. "Maybe I should have made them believe they were burning in a fire or being eaten by wolves. Would that make you happy?"

"No! Of course not! I, I'm just upset at the way they treated you. It was so rude."

Graham smiled and kissed her forehead. "It doesn't bother me, Lavender. Honestly, but I can't tolerate someone hurting you. I can make them suffer for that."

"No! How could you suggest such a thing of course I don't want you to hurt anyone."

"One day people will accept me for who am I but I have to prove I'm not evil and my intentions are good. Wizards are very superstitious, aren't they? The wizards here still remember Voldemort and the death eaters, so they are afraid. I understand that."

"But you _are_ good; I want everyone to know that. I want everyone to love you as I-" She put her head down.

"What?" he asked.

"I want everyone to understand that you're the most wonderfully kind man I've ever known." She blushed prettily.

"Yes, but what was the other part? You want everyone to love me as…?" he prompted gently.

He was teasing her now; he didn't think she was ready to say the words he was dying to hear: That she was in love with him. She wouldn't say it. Not yet, anyway, and so he let it go.

They spent all their spare time together. Ephraim was still a little edgy whenever Graham picked her up for lunch, but he never said a word. His face would get very flushed and he would immediately rise and go into the back room, ending any conversation he was engaged. Graham never spoke directly to him but waved at him from a distance.

Ron, on the other hand, constantly asked Graham how Lavender was doing. He always asked if she was all right. He was nervous about speaking to Lavender, but managed to run into her in the oddest places. She begged him to leave her alone, but he always acted innocent, claiming their meeting was merely coincidental.

Finally, he admitted that her was worried about her and was afraid that she had fallen into his spell. Whatever that meant.

One day he followed her to the Owlery. She was posting some letters for Ephraim when he came up behind her.

"Lavender," he said.

She jumped and dropped the handful of letters in her hand. "Ron!" she said, clutching her chest. "You scared the life out of me. What are you doing here?"

"I have to know you're all right," he said. "Bishop won't tell me anything and I'm worried sick."

"I'm fine," she said shortly. "We're fine. I wish you'd just go away."

"I can't, Lavender. I care about you."

"So you said. But if you truly cared about me, Ron, you'd leave me alone. I promise you if you don't, I'm going to tell Graham. He's very protective of me."

"Just tell me that you're happy and I'll walk away from you right now and I'll never bother you again."

"Read my lips, Ron: I. Am. Happy. In fact, I've never been better. Run along home to your wife and kids. I love him. Can't you understand that?"

Ron moved to put his hand on her arm and all of a sudden he wasn't in the Owlery anymore; he was in the Forbidden Forest covered in hundreds of spiders. He could feel them crawling on his skin. He fought frantically to get the spiders off him as he scrambled, finally tripping over an exposed tree root. He screamed hysterically as he desperately struggled to his feet.

From a distance, he heard a frantic voice. "Ron! What's the matter? Are you all right?" He shut his eyes tightly and when dared open them again, he was back in the Owlery with a group of confused people staring at him. At first Lavender didn't know what was happening, but as soon as she saw Graham standing in the street outside the building, she knew exactly what he had done.

Without a second glance at Ron, Lavender ran outside to Graham. She was crying and she was angrier than she'd ever been in her life.

"Why did you do that?" she yelled at him.

"He put his hands on you," he said plainly. "I couldn't let him do that."

"I could have handled it. He wasn't going to hurt me." She was shouting again. Graham looked hurt.

"I was only trying to help," he said quietly. "I'm sorry." He reached out for her, but she stepped away from him. She looked frightened.

"Get away from me!" she said.

Graham dropped his hand and clenched his fists at his sides. "I'm sorry," he said again. "I'm sorry. I won't ever bother you again." He started to walk away.

"Graham, I—" she said, but it was too late; he had already disapparated in front of her.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The next few weeks were extremely miserable for Lavender. She was sorry she yelled at Graham, who looked like a wounded puppy when he disapparated that day. She was mad as hell, but it was something she thought they could work out. He was only trying to protect her, after all.

She found out that, under the circumstances, Ron requested, and was granted a new partner in the Aurora Division. She also heard from an old friend that worked in the Ministry that Graham was in a lot of trouble and had been told by Harry to "take a few days off".

If he returned to his flat, he didn't answer his door when she knocked. She left messages on the door, but they hadn't been touched. She considered using the landlord charm and walk in without his permission, but she couldn't because she legitimately wasn't the official landlord. Tenants were allowed to charm their flats making it impossible for anyone to enter. Landlords were excluded from the charm as long as they entered the residence on official business. The charm worked exceedingly well.

Lavender stayed to herself and spent most of her time at work. Ephraim was asked by the Ministry to help them out with a few leads and he was happy that he had been asked. He was supposed to go out of town for a couple of days and she was looking forward to the alone time. Every time she looked at her uncle, she was reminded of Graham.

Ron tried talking to her a couple of times, but if she had learned one thing, it was she was finally over Ronald Weasley and she had no interest in continuing any relationship with him even after her best friend from Hogwarts, Parvati Patil told her that she knew for a fact that Ron had moved out of his house after Hermione found out about what happened. Apparently Ron couldn't come up with an answer fast enough why he was with Lavender at the Owlery in the first place.

"He was trying to get sympathy over the whole spiders-in-the-Forbidden-Forest bit, but Hermione wasn't as sympathetic," giggled Parvati. "I heard she hexed him real good and sent him packing."

Lavender smiled at the image. That's when she realized she really didn't care.

"So, what do you think?" she asked.

"About what?" Lavender said.

"Ron's available, silly."

"Parvati, I'm not in the least bit interested in Ron."

She looked at her friend incredulously. "Come on, Lavender. You've always had the hots for Weasley."

"Not any more. He's not my type."

"Since when?"

"Since I found someone who really liked me for who I am, not because I am pretty or a good kisser; someone who has as many flaws as I do." She smiled, realizing she'd just confirmed what her heart was telling her all along. "Unfortunately, I've messed that up, too."

"You don't mean Bishop, do you?" Parvati asked, aghast. "He's so scary. Everyone at the Ministry thinks he's so odd and we stay away from him. Frankly, I'm terrified of him."

"He's really not so bad," Lavender said. "He thought he was protecting me."

"I heard he wiped out a whole village in America," Pavarti said.

"Where on earth did you hear that?" Lavender said. "That's ridiculous. Harry would never hire someone who'd do such a thing."

Pavarti considered that for a moment. "You might be right, unless he was _Imperiused_. Have you thought about that?"

No, she hadn't considered that. Lavender shook her head. "If you just knew Graham, you'd know he'd never do anything like that."

Pavarti wasn't convinced but she didn't dispute her friend. She gave her a sympathetic look right before she left and told her to be careful. Lavender seemed to jump into situations without thinking. There were too many signs that Graham was a dangerous wizard to had the potential to be another (dare she think it!) _Voldemort_. If he could control other wizards' minds, Merlin only knew what he was capable. He would be even fiercer than the Dark Lord. Lavender was crazy or a fool not to be afraid of him.

And still she waited.

At the first of the month Ephraim still hadn't returned from his mission with the Ministry so she thought this was perfect time to collect the rent which gave her an excuse to legally enter Graham's flat. Just as she made up her mind, an owl swooped in and dropped off an envelope containing his rent. At least he would be staying another month, she thought, oddly relieved at the prospect. But that didn't mean he was coming back any time soon, though. That thought made her sad.

She found out a couple of days later that Graham was back at work. Gossip was that he had to write a formal letter of apology to Ron Weasley, which Ron accepted graciously. Wizards were still wary of him and he stayed pretty much out of the way. No one was sure exactly what Harry had him do, but he stayed gone a lot.

As soon as Ephraim returned, she asked him what Graham had done to him. He looked at her strangely. She'd never been so bold before; Ephraim wasn't the kind of person to be nagged or bothered, but she needed to know if he had been tortured. She wasn't sure he was going to talk about it, but finally, he sighed heavily, removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"Uncle, please," she said. "I must know."

He nodded. "I will tell you, Niece, but you must promise that you never speak of this to anyone."

"I promise," she said.

"Then fetch me a cup of tea and I will begin."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Ephraim stared at the empty cup. His eyes were watering and finally he wiped away the wetness and set the cup on the cluttered desk. He sniffled and shook his head. Lavender sat patiently, her back straight and her hands folded in her lap. She didn't know if she wanted to look at her uncle's face; she couldn't bear to see his pain, so she looked down at her hands, waiting for his to speak.

Finally he cleared his throat. "The trial was awful," he began. "The Minister of Magic himself, Kingsley Shacklebolt, sat as prosecutor. He wanted me to be an example; to prove to the wizarding community that we don't take the law into our own hands. He told the Board to send me off to Azkaban for life. 'There will be no vigilantism as long as I am Minister of Magic,' he said. 'Such will not be tolerated'," he said, making his voice sound like the Minister's. "He shook his finger at me and told the Board that if it was up to him, I'd be hanged as the monster I was; that I was no better than Voldemort or the death eaters I'd tracked down and killed."

Ephraim slammed his fist on the table, knocking over his tea cup. "Can you believe that? He compared me with the same animals who wiped out our family. Oh, no, we're supposed to be tolerant. Like it didn't matter." He shook his head sadly. "But Harry stood up, big as life and real quiet like reminded the Board how we'd all suffered. He didn't condone what we'd done, but he said he understood. He named all our family, one by one; my dearest wife Rhonda and our boys. He named your parents and your brothers; how everyone had been killed. 'Was he wrong?' Harry asked. 'Of course, but all I ask is mercy. Let him be punished, but don't sentence him to a certain death. He can help us find death eaters and bring them to justice.' He stood up real tall and asked me, 'If you are granted leniency, do you swear never to hurt death eaters or cause harm to those who followed Voldemort?'

"I nodded yes.

"'And do you further swear to aid the Ministry of Magic in its mission to bring all former death eaters to justice?'

"I nodded yes. Then I said that I regretted taking the law into my own hands. But I refused to name the names of the ones who helped me. I told the Board to punish me, but I wouldn't betray those who trusted me.

"I didn't think the Board would go for it because they argued for a full hour on what constituted leniency and what good that would do to deter others."

"But what about Graham?" Lavender asked impatiently.

"I'm getting to that. The Board was still arguing and even Harry couldn't get a word in; finally from the back the room, I hear this booming voice, 'Your Honors!' Everyone turned around and there Bishop stood in the back of the room. 'If I may,' he says, walking to the front.

"Everyone was looking at Harry who nodded acknowledging Bishop. He started off by saying that he hadn't known anything about the war or Voldemort when he came from America, but he learned quickly. He said,

'"My heart breaks for those who lost love ones on the command of Voldemort. I can only imagine how I would feel if I lost my family or my dearest friends. I would want justice and I understand how some believe that the Ministry was working too slowly or that they weren't working hard enough to wield that justice. Your Honors, what are the people suppose to think when all the Ministry can talk about is reconciliation and moving on? How do you imagine the victims feel? Where is the justice you promised?' He looked at them and kind of shook his head. 'How long will they have to wait?'

"He turned to me and then back to the Council. 'Are the criminals more important than this man? What of his pain?'

"Shacklebolt got real mad and stood up, 'We cannot allow wizards to take the law into their own hands! The Ministry is doing everything it can to bring Voldemort's death eaters to justice. We will not tolerate vigilantism!'

"'But he isn't the enemy, Your Honor; the death eaters are.'

"One of the other ministers asked him if he believed I should just be set free and he said no. That 's when Harry Potter spoke up and told the Council that I was a good man and that Azkaban would kill me and that I was trying to get justice; just like he said before, but he also agreed that I should be punished. Well, everyone agreed with that. Someone argued that the Ministry should make an example of me and that's when Harry told them he believed there should varying degrees of punishment and what they should do is think about using me to help them.

"There was a bunch of arguing then. Everybody got in on it then. They were kind of mocking Harry, saying things like, 'Should we pin a medal on his chest?' 'Why don't we kiss him on the cheek and give him 100 galleons?'"

"Then all of a sudden, the Council all started screaming like they were in pain or scared out of their wits. We all thought they had gone mad and people started pushing their way out of the hall. Bishop was just standing there with a strange look on his face. Harry yelled at him and he turned. All of a sudden everything got real quiet for a split second and then all hell broke loose.

"Harry said, very quiet like, 'Like I said, there are varying degrees of punishment that have proven to be effective. Graham Bishop can wield punishment that is effective and not dangerous. I believe the Ministry should use his talents. Psychological punishment, studies have found, is far more effective than physical. We need men like Ephraim.' He paused and then said. 'We also need men like Bishop.'"

Lavender was beginning to lose her patience. She didn't care what happened at the Council, she wanted to know what Graham showed him. "Yes, Uncle," she said, actually patting her foot on the floor impatiently. "But what did Graham do to you?"

"Hold your broomstick, I'm getting there, Niece." He cleared his throat again.

**A/N: Oh no, another cliff hanger! I am sorry about that, but I haven't posted anything in a while and I did want to make some progress. RL has taken over my FFL, and I'm trying to learn how to balance the two. Thanks for your patience. I'll update very soon. -Rita**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Lavender heard a soft cough behind her and she turned to find Graham standing by the door, his hands beside him, fists clenched. The look on his face was not one of anger, but hurt.

"Why do you have to know?" he said quietly.

Ephraim paled and his hands began to tremble. "Mr. Bishop," he said. "I…"

Graham smiled warmly at her uncle. "It's all right." He was still smiling as he walked closer.

Lavender found herself struggling for breath. What was he doing to her?

"I'm not doing anything," he said answering her thoughts. "Why do you have to know what I did? You already think I'm a monster and I don't blame you. I am a monster."

"So you can read minds, too?" she asked.

He nodded. "Sometimes. I try not to."

Lavender thought about that for a moment. "I don't think you're a monster," she said. "You could be, but you're not."

"Then why do you have to know what I did to your uncle?"

"I want to know if I can forgive you." _There, _she thought, _I've said it. _

"I didn't know that was an option," he said.

"Well, I didn't say I would. I just want to think about it."

"He won't tell you," Graham said. "He can't remember the details."

"Then you tell me."

"I remember," Ephraim said, startling both of them. He stood up and walked toward Graham. "You showed me my whole life."

Graham shook his head. "No, I…"

"My life as it would have been. It was dark and I felt something heavy pressing on my chest." He placed his hand over his heart. "It was so real, I could see the dragons that were waiting on me; the heat from their fires. Maybe that's what hell is. The worst part was the loneliness. I was drifting in the universe and I had turned away from everything light. All I wanted to do was have the light shine on me again because that was where life and happiness and hope dwelled. It's like I had disappointed everyone I knew and they pulled away from me, leaving me in the darkness. He showed me why I was wrong and how I had to make it right."

"Was that all that happened to you, Uncle?" Lavender asked. "You looked terrified when you saw Graham later."

Ephraim nodded. "I wasn't afraid of him; I was afraid that he knew everything about me and I was ashamed."

Lavender was watching Graham not Ephraim as he told her what happened. For a moment it looked like Graham was going to correct something her uncle said, but he stood silently by. Once he shook his head slightly as if he didn't agree but then he put his head down and closed his eyes.

"You weren't tortured?" Lavender asked, turning back to her uncle.

"No, dear." He walked back over to his niece and sat down again. He patted her shoulder gently. "He inflicted no pain. The pain was my own doing; my guilt of what I had done. He made me realize that I had become the person that I was fighting. He terrified me, but not like you think."

Lavender made a face. "What are you doing here anyway?" she asked Graham.

"I, uh, just wanted to pay my rent and give notice. I'll be moving out at the end of the month."

"You can't move. You have a six months' lease," she said.

"I thought, under the circumstances, it would be best for me to move."

"Oh, you did, did you? Best for whom?" Lavender asked. "I've got news for you, mister, you don't know anything." She pushed herself away from her desk, got us and stormed to the back of the shop, leaving Graham and her uncle staring at her as she left.

When she slammed the door behind her, Ephraim looked at him, shrugged and said, "Better go after her, son."

Graham hesitated for a split second then ran to the back of the shop, disappearing behind the crimson curtail that separated the storage area and the office itself. There was an exit to the alley.

"Please don't disapparate," he said out loud, heading to the rear door.

"I wasn't going to," she said in a slightly confused tone. Graham turned to find Lavender sitting on top of a crate.

He skidded to a stop. "Oh, good." He smiled sheepishly. "Hi."

"Hi," she said blowing her nose daintily on her Lavender scented handkerchief. She sniffled and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

Graham didn't know what to say. He had given up all hope of a relationship with Lavender, but now there was a chance that she might forgive him and give him one more chance. She said she didn't want him to move; no, she said he couldn't move, not that she didn't want him to leave. But, if she wanted him out of his life, she would have jumped on the chance, but she was a landlord, and revenue was revenue. But she did say she might be thinking about forgiving him, but she was pretty irritated that he had read her mind. But-

"What?" she shouted impatiently at him. That was a good sign, he said, jumping.

"I'm sorry, Lavender," he began. "I'm sorry about everything. I am crazy."

"Well, there's something we can both agree on," she said. He saw that she was getting frustrated. She wanted something from him, but what?

"I've apologized to her," he said aloud. "What else can I do? You can't lose her. You love her. Tell her, dammit!"

Lavender couldn't help herself but grin. He was talking to himself again. The struggle on his face made her smile again. "I love you, too," she said.

He looked so surprised that Lavender stood up and walked over to him. She kissed him. It was his turn to look confused.

"Did you just say you love me?" he asked.

"You couldn't see that? Pretty pathetic for someone who's supposed to be omniscient. Honestly, Graham, I don't see why everything thinks you're such a genius. You're actually pretty thick. I want to try again with you. I do love you." She was crying now, harder than before.

"I'm sorry," he said, kissing her tears away.

"You're sorry I love you? You _are_ stupid."

He laughed. "No and yes. Of course I'm not sorry you love me."

"I have no idea what's going to happen next. Do you?" she asked.

"Absolutely not; I can read minds but I stop at predicting the future. I know what I want to happen; a future together. I do know one thing, Lavender Brown, I will dedicate the rest of my days making you happy. I love you and I want to marry you."

Lavender threw her arms around him and she clung to him, kissing his face. "Do you solemnly promise not to send Ronald Weasley or any of my other friends to the Forbidden Forest?"

His mouth twitched. "I promise."

"Well, then. Where are you taking me on our honeymoon?"

"I will give you the world, just name it."

"Hmm," she said. "I'd kind of like to visit America."

"Your wish is my command." She closed her eyes and felt the warm sun on her face.

"Where are we?" she asked, not daring to open her eyes.

"Hawaii," he said.

"We could get married there, right?" she asked.

"Well, not technically."

"Good because I want to marry you here with my uncle standing up for me."

"I'm pretty sure that can be arranged," he said.

When she opened her eyes, she was back at her uncle's shop. Graham was looking at her.

"Thank you, Lavender," he said kissing her tenderly. "Thank you for seeing in me what others couldn't see."

"I could say the same about you, Graham. You are a wonderful person. You could be the most powerful and evil wizard in the world, but you're not. You're a good man, and I'm so glad you love me. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

**A/N: And they lived happily ever after. Graham could have easily used his power for evil and he was clearly the most powerful wizard in the world. If something happened to Lavender, I wonder if he would turn against the wizarding world to become even crueler than Voldemort. It's something to think about. On a happier note, I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to finish this story, but I hope you enjoy it and will do me the honor of reviewing to let me know what you think. Rita**


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